Ordnance.



No. 7l5,672. Patented Dec. 9. I902.

J. KURIG. 'onnuAncl-z.

(Application filed July 28, 1902.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

No. 7l5,672,, Patented Dec. 9; I902.

J. KUBIG. (IRDNANCE.

(Application flled July 28, 1902.)

'(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Shut 3.

u I x KTE JOSEF KURIG, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO FRIED.KRUPP, OF ESSEN-ON-THE-RUHR, GERMANY.

ORDNANCE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,672, dated December9, 1902.

Application filed July 28, 1902.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEF KURIG, a-subjectofthe Emperor of Germany, anda resident of 16 Holzstrasse, Essen-on-the-Ruhr, Germany, haveinventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Ordnance, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates in general to those guns in which the gun-barrelmust be returned to a specific loading position after each discharge andspecifically to guns having an attachment for rapidly shifting thegun-barrel from the firing to the loading position and returning it tothe firing position. It has heretofore been proposed to accomplish thisresult by introducing into the drivin g connections for the toothed arcand pinion mechanism a clutch, a sleeve engaging one of the clutchmembers through the medium of a screw-formed face and capable ofthrowing the clutch out of gear, and a lever for suddenly raising andlowering the gun having connections with the sleeve, through which itcan throw the clutch out of gear as said lever is moved.

By the present invention the sleeve and its connection with the raisingand lowering lever are done away with and the clutch is thrown out ofgear through the medium of the gun-barrel. This result is accomplished,according tothe present invention, by having the engaging bosses on theclutch members provided with spiral faces.

One embodiment of the invention is shown, by way of illustration, in theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Figure 1 is a side elevation of theparts of the gun which come into consideration in connection with thepresent invention, the forward wall of the carriage being cut away andthe gun-barrel being shown by full lines in its position of greatestelevation and by dotand-dash lines in its loading position. Fig. 2 showsa plan view of theelevating mechanism in combination with the attachmentforming the subject of the present invention, several parts being shownin section. Fig. 3 shows the coupling of the elevating mechanism in itsdisengaged position. Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4 4, Fig. 2,looking from left to right. Fig. 5 is a section on the line Serial No.117,344. (No model.)

5 5, Fig. 4, looking from right to left. Figs. 6 to 9 are detail views.i

The particular construction of the elevating mechanism forms no part ofthe present invention, and therefore needs only to be briefly described.It consists, essentially, of a handwheel A, a shaft B, carrying a worminclosed in a housing 0, a Worm-wheel in engagement with said wormmounted on a shaft DD, and a pinion E on the same shaft, which mesheswith a toothed arc F, rigidly connected with the gun barrel. The drivingparts of the elevating mechanismto wit, the handwheel A, shaft B, andworm-gear-are on the outside of the wall G of the carriage, while thevremaining parts of the elevating mechanism,'together with the bearingsH for shaft D D, are arranged between the carriage-walls.

The shaft that carries the pinion E and worm-wheel of the elevatingmechanism consists of two parts D and D, Fig. 4. Rigidly connected withthe part D of this shaft, which with the exception of its journals ishexagonal and carries the pinion E, is one member K of a clutch. Thisclutch member has two diametrically opposite recesses 70,Figs. 8 and 9,of different length and formed with pitched faces 70. When the clutchinterlocks, these recesses are engaged with a slight degree of play bycorrespondingly formed lugs with pitched faces on the other clutchmember. (See also Figs. 6 and 7.) The clutch member L is axially movablebut non-rotatable on the part D of the shaft. The two clutch members areheld in interlocked relation by a spring M, bearing at one end againstthe carriage-wall G and at the other end against the clutch member L andguided bya neck on the latter.

In a housing N, mounted on the outer wall G ofQthe carriage, isjournaled a shaft 0, which carries a hand-lever P on its outer end. Thatportion of shaft Owithin the housing N is angular and carries a sleeveQ, with which are fixedly connected the inner ends of sev' eral spiralsprings S, which are separated by washers R and have their outer endsfixed to the housing. These springs are so wound Within thecarriage-wall on the shaft 0 is a lever T, which carries a lateral arm1., engaging beneath the breech of the gun-barrel or against a hornthereon through the medium of a roller U.

In the following explanation of the manipulation and mode of operationof the invention it will be assumed that the several parts are to beshifted from the position shown in Fig. 2 and by full lines in Fig. 1,which corresponds to the position of extreme elevation of the gun. Whilethe parts are in this position the clutch is in engagement and is heldin such engagement by the spring M. The shaft part D is prevented fromturning by the selflocking nature of the worm-gear of the elevatingmechanism, so that the shaft part D, toothed wheel E, and the gun-barrelcannot of their own motion change their positions. The roller U of leverT is held by the action of spring S against the horn V of the gunbreech.If the gunner now desires to transfer the gun-barrel to the loadingposition without operating the elevating mechanism, he must apply forceto the lever P, which tends to move the same in the direction of thearrow 19, Fig. 1. This causes the lateral arm 25 of the lever T to exerta lifting pressure on the breech of the gun-barrel through the medium ofthe roller U and to swing the toothed arc F of the elevating mechanism,which is rigidly connected to the gun-barrel in the direction of thearrowf, Fig. 1. In consequence of this a rotary force in the directionof the arrow 6, Fig. 1, is exerted by the toothed arc F upon the pinionE, with which said toothed arc is in engagement; but since, as has beenabove explained, the shaft portion D is fixed against turning by theworm-gear of the elevating mechanism the clutch K L will be thrown outof gear through the medium of the inclined faces 7c Z by the rotaryforce imparted to the pinion E of shaft portion D, the springM being atthe same time compressed. The lever P, responding to the force appliedto it by the gunner, can now turn upon its axis and the gun-barrel beraised to the leading position independently of the operation of theelevating mechanism. In these movements springs S unwind and assist inraising the gun-barrel. As the gun-barrel is overbalanced it sinks assoon as the lever T has passed its dead-center. This movement continuesthe turning of the lever T until the roller U on the arm 15 impinges thehorn V on the breech of the gun. The gun-barrel and the lever have thenassumed the position shown by broken lines in Fig. 1, at which timemovement of the lever P in the direction of the arrow 19 may be arrestedby a suitable stop on the gun-carriage. (Not shown in the drawings.) Tobring the gunbarrel, after loading, back to the same firing positionwhich it had previously occupied, the hand-lever P is thrown toward themuzzle of the gun in opposition to the springs S, putting the latterunder tension. The lever T takes part in this movement and raises thegun until the lever passes its dead-center, whereupon the gun-barrelsinks under the increase of weight, due to the load that has beenintroduced, and swings the lever P to the position which it had at thebeginning. When the gun-barrel has reached the precise firing positionwhich it had formerly, the clutch K L is thrown into gearautomaticallyby the operation of the spring M. In order to prevent a prematureengagement of the clutch K L, the lugs and recesses of the clutch-facesare of different lengths, and the relation of the pinion E to thetoothed arc F is so determined that the pinion E makes less than onerevolution during the raising or lowering of the gun-barrel.

The arrangement constituting the subjectmatter of this invention willalways be used for transferring the gun-barrel from the firing to theloading position, and vice versa. Any corrections or adjustment in thefiring or elevated position, however, will always be accomplishedthrough the medium of the elevating mechanism by turning the hand-wheelA. In order to forestall unintentional disengagement of the clutchmembers K L, we have, on the one hand, the pressure of the spring M,which holds the parts of the clutch in engagement, and, on the otherhand, the pitch of the inclined faces Z of the clutch lugs and recesses,all of which are sufficiently great to prevent the force transmittedthrough the clutch from releasing the latter when elevating the gun.

Having thus described the invention, the following is what is claimed asnew therein:

1. In an attachment for elevating mechanism for guns, for rapidlytransferring the gunbarrel from firing to loading position and return;the combination of means for raising and lowering the breech of thegun-barrel independently of the elevating mechanism, a clutch interposedin the elevating mechanism, and inclined faces on the engaging portionsof said clutch, which force the clutch members apart when the drivenportion of the elevating mechanism is moved independently of the drivingportion.

2. In combination with the elevating mechanism ofagun, comprisingdriving and driven parts, a clutch interposed between said driving anddriven parts, and having inclined faces forcing the clutch members apartwhen the driven part is moved independently of the driving part of theelevating mechanism, and means for raising and lowering the breech ofthe, gun independently of the elevating mechanism.

3. In combination with the elevating mechanism of agun, comprisingdriving and driven parts; a clutch interposed between said driving anddriven parts, having inclined faces which force the clutch members apartwhen the driven part is moved independently of the driving part of theelevating mechanism, a spring holding the members of the clutch tomentof the clutch members when the elevat ing mechanism is being operatedthrough its driving part.

4. The herein-described means for controlling guns, consisting ofelevating mechanism comprising a driving part having means through whichit is rotated, and the driven part having means through which it raisesand lowers the gun as it is rotated, a clutch interposed between thedriving and driven parts of the elevating mechanism, having inclinedfaces between its engaging members, whereby rotation of the drivenmember of the clutch independently of the driving member forces theclutch members apart, and means for raising and lowering the breech ofthe gun independently of the driving part of the elevating mechanism,whereby when the breech is moved by said raising and lowering mechanism,the clutch is disengaged.

5. In an elevating mechanism for guns, the

combination of driving means including a Worm-gear, and driven meansincluding a toothed are and pinion, through which the firing position ofthe gun is established, a clutch interposed between the driving anddriven means, having inclined faces by which the clutch members areforced apart when the driven means is rotated independently of thedriving means, and a lever raising and lowering the breech of the gunindependently of the means for establishing the firing position.

The foregoing specification-signed at Diisseldorf this 16th day of July,1902.

JOSEF KURIG.

In presence of- WIL IAM ESSENWEIN, RUDY LIEBER

